New blood biomarker could diagnose Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear

Last Updated: 02-03-2021

A unique brain protein measured in the blood could be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease decades before symptoms develop, according to new Edith Cowan University (ECU) research. Published in Nature journal Translational Psychiatry, the stu Read More...

First virus vaccine jabs boost confidence

Last Updated: 02-03-2021

The start of the national COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been a shot in the arm for confidence after an unsettled start to the year. The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index rose one per cent, ending three weeks of consecutive declines.[s Read More...

NSW restrictions ease, 40 days virus-free

Last Updated: 02-03-2021

House parties are back on in NSW and rules about dancing and singing in public have eased as the state hits 40 coronavirus-free days. 
Zero new local COVID-19 cases were recorded in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, with four cases unc Read More...

Twitter tackles vaccine misinformation

Last Updated: 02-03-2021

Twitter says it will apply warnings to tweets containing misleading information about COVID-19 vaccines and implement a strike system of enforcement that could see users permanently banned for repeat violations. The social media network started pr Read More...

Experts doubt October vaccination target

Last Updated: 02-03-2021

Medical experts believe the federal government's coronavirus vaccination target will be hard to achieve unless jab rates are dramatically ramped up. The Morrison government has set October as the goal for everyone who wants to receive a vaccin Read More...

Slow rollout for Victoria COVID vaccines

Last Updated: 02-03-2021

Victoria's COVID-19 vaccinations are rolling out slowly, with less than a third of the supplied doses being administered. According to federal figures, only 30 per cent of Victoria's doses were injected in the first week of the vaccination Read More...

QLD to reopen to Melbourne amid vax drive

Last Updated: 02-03-2021

Queensland will reopen to Melbourne residents, as the state waits for the federal government to explain a vaccine bungle involving two aged care residents in Brisbane. 
The state has imposed mandatory hotel quarantine on visitors from the Victo Read More...

New tool for assisting people with a disability choose the support they need

Date of Posting: 01-03-2021

Victoria takes another step forward in assisting people with disability find the allied health services they need, while also providing resources to upskill allied health professionals with the launch of My Allied Health Space. Funded by the Victo Read More...

Disadvantage and adversity behind Queensland's high sudden infant death rate

Date of Posting: 01-03-2021

Queensland’s first large-scale study of all sudden infant deaths to date has identified key factors contributing to the state’s persistently high annual death rate of babies. PhD student Rebecca Shipstone conducted an extensive investi Read More...

Asthma may heighten flu risk and cause dangerous mutations

Date of Posting: 01-03-2021

A subtype of asthma in adults may cause higher susceptibility to influenza and could result in dangerous flu mutations. University of Queensland-led animal studies have found that paucigranulocytic asthma (PGA) – a non-allergic form of the c Read More...

Challenge to regular anorexia nervosa therapies

Date of Posting: 01-03-2021

Experts are calling for more work to find better targeted treatments for anorexia nervosa, a global problem underpinning the highest mortality of any psychological condition. A new paper in The Lancet Psychiatry shows a lack of strong evidence to Read More...

Cancer undiagnosed in Vic amid pandemic

Last Updated: 01-03-2021

Thousands of Victorians have missed cancer diagnoses amid the coronavirus pandemic, with experts concerned the state will see a future "cancer spike". Data published by the Cancer Council Victoria in the Medical Journal of Australia on Mond Read More...

QLD to have euthanasia system by May 2021

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Queenslanders living with chronic pain or terminal illness will be legally able to die at a time of their choosing from May 2021 after the state completed a review of legalising euthanasia. 
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman tabled the Queensla Read More...

Restrictions to ease in NSW: the full list

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS TO EASE IN NSW FROM FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26: 
 *50 visitors allowed in the home, up from 30[subscribe] *30 people allowed to dance at weddings at any one time
 *50 people in gym classes, up from 30 *30 people involv Read More...

SA looks to lead on vaccine take-up rate

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

South Australia is aiming to have the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the country as the rollout continues for frontline workers and those most vulnerable. 
SA began to administer the Pfizer vaccine on Monday with 150 people receiving the Read More...

SA premier defends his early vaccine shot

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has defended his decision to be among the first in SA to get the COVID-19 vaccine, describing it as a show of confidence in its safety. 
Mr Marshall was administered the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, along w Read More...

Auckland returns to COVID-normal life

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Eight days after the discovery of a Valentine's Day outbreak in Auckland, COVID-19 restrictions have been removed from New Zealand's biggest city. 
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that Auckland would join the rest of t Read More...

First COVID-19 jab administered in Vic

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Victorians have begun receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as the state records a third consecutive day without a new case. 
The first Victorian to roll up her sleeve and receive the Pfizer vaccine on Monday morning was Rhonda Stuart, the head of Read More...

NSW premier 'prefers' frontliners get jab

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Premier Gladys Berejiklian's "strong preference" is only people vaccinated against COVID-19 work in Sydney's hotel quarantine system, but hasn't decided whether to enforce it with a public health order. 
"I have overw Read More...

Three new local COVID-19 cases in Victoria

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

A family of three have tested positive for COVID-19, more than a week after two of them stayed at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport. 
Health Minister Martin Foley on Friday confirmed one of the parents and child stayed at the quarantine hote Read More...

Vic mental health system report due March

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

The findings of a royal commission into Victoria's "broken" mental health system are expected to be handed down on March 2. 
The report was due to be made public on February 4, but was delayed over a COVID-19 case in hotel quar Read More...

Facebook to revive health, emergency pages

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Facebook will restore pages of some state and territory health authorities, emergency services and the Bureau of Meteorology after they were caught up in the platform's Australian news ban. 
Queensland, SA and ACT Health and the WA Fire and Read More...

Mexico exceeds two million virus cases

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Mexico has topped two million confirmed coronavirus cases and 175,000 deaths related to COVID-19, though officials concede that the country's extremely low rate of testing means the real figures are much higher. 
The country's health de Read More...

Vaccine rollout scheduled for Tasmania

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Tasmania's COVID-19 vaccination program will begin next week in Hobart, first targeting frontline health workers, quarantine and border staff. 
Appointments have been scheduled for the capital city first, with other parts of the state jo Read More...

AstraZeneca vaccine approved in Australia

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use in Australia. 
Initial supplies of the vaccine will be imported into Australia from overseas before doses are manufactured locally.
"Australians can be Read More...

No new COVID-19 cases in Auckland

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

New Zealand may have avoided a serious outbreak of COVID-19 after fresh testing revealed no new community cases of the virus. 
 More than 15,000 tests were taken on Monday after three family members tested positive to the virus on the weekend.& Read More...

Top End vaccine rollout ready to go

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

Health workers and staff at the Howard Springs COVID-19 quarantine facility will be among the first Northern Territorians vaccinated against the virus. 
The first Pfizer vaccine jabs are expected to be administered next week although which day Read More...

NSW vaccinates more than 5500 people

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

More than 5500 people have received the COVID-19 jab in NSW in the first three days of the state's vaccine roll-out. 
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Thursday she was "very pleased" with the state's progress.
But she Read More...

WHO backs use of AstraZeneca vaccine

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

GENEVA, DPA - The World Health Organisation recommends using the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 despite recent reports that raised questions about its effectiveness.     The UN health agency issued its guidance on Wednesday, d Read More...

Paid on par with cleaners: the broader issue affecting the quality of aged care

Last Updated: 26-02-2021

The aged care royal commission is due to hand down its final report on February 26, and it will be tabled in parliament in the days after that.   The long-term sustainability of the aged-care workforce and the financial health of the se Read More...

10 lessons from the virus crisis

Date of Posting: 26-02-2021

How some rich countries failed, and why - study Australia ranked eighth in the world ‘s Top 10 countries to manage their COVID-19 response well, with New Zealand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Cyprus, Rwanda and Iceland ahead in an in-depth stu Read More...

Concerns that "anxiety-provoking" prenatal testing is becoming too complex

Date of Posting: 24-02-2021

As non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) becomes more advanced, questions of informed consent, accuracy and ethical concerns have become more complicated for clinicians, and more distressing for parents, according to an article published in the MJA. Read More...

What's in the way of quality antenatal care for women in West and Central Africa

Last Updated: 17-02-2021

Globally, nearly 300,000 women die from pregnancy-related causes each year. Most of these deaths are in the low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The leading causes of maternal mortality include severe bleeding, hyperten Read More...

Aged care providers want sector overhauled

Last Updated: 16-02-2021

Transforming the aged sector so older Australians receive appropriate support and care is the driving force behind a new industry alliance urging for reform. 
 The Australian Aged Care Collaboration alliance represents more than 1000 organis Read More...

Improving social health for people living with dementia

Last Updated: 16-02-2021

Researchers at UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) have pinpointed mechanisms to reduce loneliness and improve social participation and belonging for people with dementia.  Social connection is a basic human need and i Read More...

Link between hearing loss and dementia uncovered for the first time in Australia

Last Updated: 15-02-2021

New research has uncovered an Australian-first association between the impact of hearing loss on cognitive abilities and an increased risk for dementia. In Australia, hearing loss affects 74% of people aged over 70. International studies estimate Read More...

One jab OK for those who had virus: France

Last Updated: 13-02-2021

PARIS, DPA - People who have survived a coronavirus infection should be able to make do with only one vaccination dose because their body will retain immunity memory, France's top health agency says.     That means a single vacc Read More...

Vic goes into lockdown to stop third wave

Date of Posting: 13-02-2021

MELBOURNE, AAP - Victoria will enter a "short, sharp circuit-breaker" lockdown for five days amid fears the highly infectious UK strain of coronavirus has spread in the community.     Premier Daniel Andrews says the state Read More...

Vic lockdown prompts mental health concern

Last Updated: 13-02-2021

MELBOURNE, AAP - The return of a strict lockdown to Victoria has prompted concerns for the mental health of those who have already struggled through lengthy restrictions in 2020.     Premier Daniel Andrews announced a five-day " Read More...

China has fewest virus cases in 5 months

Date of Posting: 12-02-2021

BEIJING, RAW - China has reported the fewest number of new COVID-19 cases in more than five months after a combination of robust countermeasures helped stamp out a new wave of the disease in the northeast that emerged last month.     Read More...